The four first years enjoyed their breakfast in the bustling Great Hall, each interacting with other nearby Gryffindors with the exception of Hermione. Other students rarely sought to engage in conversation with her; nobody considered lectures enjoyable.
"Hurry up Ron!" Artemis demanded when she noticed there were only a few students still in the hall. She glared at the redhead boy as he rushed to take a final bite of toast. "M'kay lesgo" Ron managed through a full mouth. As they each rose, the used plates emptied and emerged anew, leaving no suggestion of the past.
"Come on Hermione, join us" Artemis invited, glancing at her friend who had her lips pursed in disapproval. "I guess I'll go upstairs and prepare for tomorrow's classes." She said after a heartbeat of uncomfortable silence, aware that the group was now waiting on her. She rose quickly, brushing off non-existent crumbs from her robes and looked to Artemis to initiate the departure. "Don't tell me you have homework?" Artemis teased, knowing damn well that the overachieving young Gryffindor would never leave homework for a Sunday. "Don't be ridiculous!" Hermione exclaimed with offense. "I meant I would like to look over my notes again." Her warm brown eyes danced away, focusing on something nobody could see. Her discomfort in the presence of the boys was evident.
Artemis although, had grown preoccupied by movement to her left. A nearly empty Great Hall was an odd sight, it made one aware of their space in the world. She noted the Slytherin table and instantly recognized a group she wished had long since left the area. Draco Malfoy, flanked by Blaise Zabini, Dexter Dranson, and Millicent Bulstrode began heading to the exit, seemingly preoccupied by their own sly conversation. Draco's features were ignited by an arrogant smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Let's go then," Harry said with slight urgency, already heading towards the exit himself. He was also aware of the possible situation unfolding. Artemis followed him without a word, Hermione to her right. The Gryffindors felt the tension growing with each step but refused to slow despite Hermione's objection. The rival groups were approaching each other hastily now that the Slytherins were well aware of the silly race to the doors. Draco's eyes darted from the gryffindors, Harry in particular, back to the entrance, his eyebrow furrowed. He pointedly avoided glancing at Artemis even though she was the focal point of his peripheral vision. His brain perceived her as vibrating pulses of warm light, calling out to capture all of his attention, making it nearly impossible for him to ignore.
The situation escalated from mere tension to confrontation when Draco forced his way past the doors by shoving his shoulder into Harry's. "Watch it, Potter" he snarled afterwards, his peers turning on their heels, almost as if planned, to face the Gryffindors. "Keep it moving, Malfoy" Harry said through clenched teeth as he slowed his pace to a halt in front of the thin boy; his blue eyes locked on his rival's. With the halting of both parties, the slytherins spread out in a curved line, surrounding the Gryffindors and preventing an easy exit. "You know what? I don't think I will." Draco began, looking at his fellow housemates and growing confident in their numbers. "I think I'll stay here and see if you can manage to weasel your way out of-" "Oh move over!" Artemis scowled loudly, her patience breaking. She found herself shoving her way through, furiously pushing past Draco and Blaise, arms raised for maximum effect. She did not allow her comparably small size to hinder her physical abilities, and even managed to shove Draco enough that he had to steady himself.
"How dare you touch him, you little bitch!" Millicent snarled instantly as Artemis passed through. She stepped towards her, wand in hand to appear threatening. Draco's face had flushed a weak pink from both embarrassment and what seemed like for a heartbeat, hurt. His body was turned towards the Gryffindor he felt conflicting feelings for and his eyes followed Artemis as she turned to face her new challenger. His wand dropped from his sleeve and he immediately turned to Harry, wanting to avoid a personal confrontation with the beautiful girl. "You'll pay for your girlfriend's actions, Potter. If you don't need a silly little girl to act for you then I challenge you to a duel. Meet me at midnight in the trophy room, unless you're a filthy coward."
Harry inched closer, anger apparent on his face. "You're on Malfoy" he agreed in a low, deadly voice, ignoring the comments made about Artemis. Hermione gasped at the agreement, a noise that went without notice. "I'll be his second," Ron chimed in, causing the slytherins to chuckle coldly. "I'm nobody's girlfriend," Artemis snapped, turning heads once again, her wand pointing to Millicent. "And I can take on any of you, all of you even, at once. You can bring whoever you want, Malfoy, you will lose." The end of her sentence seeped hate into the atmosphere; she despised what was said about her. I will not be reduced to that.
Draco finally met her glare and fire-hot anger with his own. "Come on Bulstrode," he said, eyes still on Artemis. "You'll get your chance tonight." With that, he pulled his cloak around him and walked off to the right, followed by his party who continued their hateful glaring as they departed. "This isn't over little girl" Millicent said before she walked off, receiving a snort in return. Big mistake.
The whole way upstairs, the group angrily discussed Malfoy and the upcoming duel. The more they talked, the angrier they grew. Artemis was sure she could defeat the Slytherins and the thought made her heart race in anticipation. Regarding Malfoy, she hadn't decided her course of action. Maybe she'd spare him the embarrassment of defeat and let him run off? We'll see, she thought to herself.
Hermione contributed little to the conversation, apart from a warning about rule breaking. Once in the common room and seated on comfortable cushions, the friends relaxed and turned to Artemis, curious about her promised story. With hesitation, the fierce girl looked at her housemates to gauge how serious they were about listening. Should I even be telling them this? It's going to sound so crazy. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all turned to her, eyes watching her face intensely. They clearly would hear her out without judgment, at the very least. Artemis sighed and began her tale, recalling what Dumbledore said about her powers, her prophecy, and her potential darkness.
"I mean are you surprised? About your powers, I mean-" Ron asked after Artemis finished her recollection. "You're the strongest witch I ever met and you're 11!" He exclaimed. He seemed to think this was all too brilliant. Artemis rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to him, "Ron, I didn't ask for special powers. Plus is that really all you got from this? What about my prophecy? And the damn time travel?" She demanded, growing angry. "Mate, I'm just saying I knew you were special is all. You should have told us about all of this as soon as it happened." Ron responded quietly, not wanting to meet her anger. Artemis closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to calm herself. "I don't want you guys to think I'm weird… I honestly didn't think you'd even believe me." She admitted, eyes locked on the fuzzy carpet.
Harry had listened to her story without a word, and finally spoke. "You never thought I was weird, and I'll never think you're weird. I don't know much about time travel, is it regular in the wizarding world? And that prophecy sounds like something you don't have to deal with right away. When the time comes, we'll be here for you." "Time travel is possible using time turners," Hermione chimed in, "-otherwise I've only ever read legends about time traveling wizards, who were born with the power. In these books, they typically were sent back in time to change something vital. It's as if only that one person has the power to cause such a change, and thus they're born with the power to time-travel." Artemis looked at her, lost in thought. "Do you think that's what I am?" She asked, desperate for answers. "I don't know Artemis, these books aren't biographical. I assumed they were children's stories. Still, based on what you told us, you saved that little boy..." The friends got silent for a few heartbeats, contemplating. Artemis went on to further question why she'd have these powers, and they all toyed with ideas until the ideas ran dry.
"Thank you." Artemis said, looking at the friends in turn. "I don't really know what any of this means but I appreciate having mates like you who listen and care." Harry, who was sitting next to her on the couch, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and said, "Next time, tell us immediately when something like this happens." Hermione, looking happy to be part of the group, smiled at Artemis lightly. She gave her friend a final warning about her powers, telling her to be careful of how she uses them. Artemis felt that breathing was easier; she released the tension from her shoulders and laid back on the couch. How lucky am I to have such friends? She thought to herself. Now the next step is talking to Dad.
"Okay, your turn!" Artemis said to Harry, snapping out of her thoughts. Harry began with his and Hagrid's visit to Gringotts, how a package was being relocated to Hogwarts, and how someone attempted to rob the same vault that very day. The friends wondered what could have been inside the package, why Dumbledore would want it, and where it could be now. "That's brilliant Harry. You were a part of a super secret mission!" Artemis laughed. "Oh shut up, it was a two birds for one stone type of situation for Hagrid. Anway, I hope that whatever is inside that package won't cause any harm to Hogwarts." "I'm sure we're fine, Dumbledore knows what he's doing." Ron responded enthusiastically, energized by the mystery.
Once everything was said and done, the boys and Artemis started exchanging looks and looking at the clock. It read 11:00 P.M and one thought began racing in all three minds: the duel. Artemis, Harry, and Ron then each retired to their beds so as to fool Hermione that no rule breaking would occur. Her threats to expose their whereabouts challenged the whole operation, and they figured it was best she didn't know. The three friends prepared for the duel in their bedrooms and headed downstairs to the common room to meet. They'd whispered plans to each other before "bed" and decided to meet at 11:30. In robes and with wands extended, Harry, Ron and Artemis were very much awake.
Artemis started giving last minute tips on dueling that she'd gathered from fictional books and Dad's stories. Dumbledore's words rang in her mind and for the first time, the words were comforting. If she truly were powerful, the friends had nothing to fear. "There's no way we're losing to these losers, don't worry." She assured her friends. "Right then, we'd better go now." Harry said. He himself didn't know what to expect but knew that he would never back down to Malfoy. Ron, who was busy consuming a chocolate frog agreed and confirmed he was ready. Just as they were about to exit the portrait hole, they were met with an angry female voice behind them.
"I knew it! I knew it as soon as I heard Artemis stumble out of the dormitory. You guys are going to the duel! You can't!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. She was in pajamas but wisely thought to bring her wand. Artemis cursed under her breath, angry at herself for making so much noise. "It really is none of your business" Ron snapped, already opening the door. "I won't let you go! You will not make Gryffindor lose more points!" Hermione shrieked, raising her wand. "And what will you do, Hermione? Jinx us?" Artemis asked, annoyed. Hermione remained frozen in her spot, unsure of what to do. "I'll get a professor" She finally said, voice shaking. Artemis felt her frustration growing; even after the heartwarming conversation they had earlier, Hermione was still willing to get them in trouble for the sake of Gryffindor. Harry himself was growing impatient; he didn't want to be late and have Malfoy think of him as a coward. "We're going now, if you want to tell a professor, you go ahead and do that. You'll be punished for being out of bed, just like us." With that, he turned away from her and stepped through the portrait hole, leading the way. Artemis was last to leave, looking at her friend in disappointment. "Don't do something stupid" She finally told Hermione, before following Harry and Ron outside of the dormitory. Hermione was not satisfied with these answers and she too followed the group out, thinking she could intimidate them into coming back. The second she stepped out, the door closed behind her. "We need to go back, this is unsafe!" She whispered desperately. "So go!" Ron yelled, causing Harry and Artemis to immediately shush him.
Hermione, offended by his anger, decided they were a lost cause and unworthy of her help. Turning back to the portrait, her heart sank as she was met with an empty painting. "Oh no!" She wailed. Artemis turned to examine the cause of distress, and immediately grew annoyed at the discovery. "Bloody hell, that's just wonderful" she said through clenched teeth. "Might as well come with us then, unless you'd prefer waiting alone in the dark." She didn't give Hermione a chance to think it over, she merely followed her friends into the dark. Hermione, unsure of what else to do, sped after Atemis with her wand ignited.